Update: Reform Jewish Leaders Urge Boy Scout Ban

Policy banning gay troop leaders called incompatible with belief that people are created in the image of God.

Kevin Eckstrom| April 2, 2001

The American Reform Jewish movement has called on Jewish families and synagogues to sever all ties with the Boy Scouts.

This is the strongest reaction by a U.S. religious group to the Supreme Court's ruling allowing the Boy Scouts to ban homosexuals from leadership posts. In a memo to congregations, the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism called the Scouts' policy "incompatible with our consistent belief that every individual—regardless of his or her sexual orientation—is created in the image of God and deserving of equal treatment."

The policy would amount to blatant discrimination if applied to blacks or Jews instead of to homosexuals, said Rabbi Dan Polish, director of the commission. "This policy is at clear odds with the values that the Reform movement has embraced," he said.

Religious communities have been divided since the court's 5-4 decision last June. There are 3 million Boy Scouts in the United States, an estimated 7,100 of whom have been sponsored by Jewish congregations.

Gregg Shields, a Boy Scouts spokesman, said his organization continues to enjoy tremendous support from other religious groups who have chartered scout troops, including Orthodox Jewish congregations. "Although we regret this decision, our doors remain open to all units that would like to continue chartering troops and dens," Shields said.